In an earlier post that you can read HERE, I suggested that if you study the story of Abraham offering Isaac on Mt Moriah carefully, you could find as many as 30 similarities between that story and the story of God offering Jesus as a sacrifice on Mt Calvary. I posed this question to our Connect Group at Hebron Church on Sunday, and here are the 30 similarities that we found.

In both stories…

The father leads his son to be sacrificed.

A donkey is involved on the road to the sacrifice.

They leave their “homeland” to go to the place of sacrifice (Abraham & Isaac travel to the mountain, Jesus leaves heaven to come to earth).

To get from where they are to the place of sacrifice requires a journey.

Each son is the “one and only son” of his father.

The son is a descendant of Abraham.

The son had been born with divine intervention.

The sacrifices take place on the same mountain (called Mt. Moriah in the Old Testament, called Mt. Calvary in the New Testament — also known as Mt. Zion, by the way)

The companions that were with them stayed behind (most likely on the hill across the valley, called the Mt. of Olives) when the son went with the father for the sacrifice.

The son carried the wood/cross to the place of sacrifice.

The son asked questions of the father.

The father knew what he was called to do.

The son was submissive to the will of the father.

The father was willing to sacrifice his son, if necessary.

The father believed in resurrection.

The father loved the son.

A resurrection was prophesied (Abraham said, “we’ll come back to you.” Jesus said, “I will rise on the third day.”)

The son was laid upon the wood/cross.

The son was bound to the wood/cross.

Abraham had a knife to pierce his son, Jesus’ skin was pierced by whips laced with bones, glass and rocks.

The Lord Himself provided the sacrifice (the ram, Jesus). [Note, the word order in the Hebrew text of Genesis 22:8 could read, “The Lord will provide Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” A foreshadowing of Jesus]

Blood was shed.

The sacrifice was a substitute (ram a substitute for Isaac, Jesus a substitute for us).

The sacrifice was a demonstration of love for God.

Men of great faith in God who were committed obediently to the will of God.

The ram was caught in the thorns, and Jesus had a crown of thorns on his head.

Abundant blessings flow because of the sacrifice (abundant life).

Abraham was tested, Jesus was tested.

The son ultimately survived the sacrifice.

The son was resurrected on the third day.

Number 30 requires a little explanation. Jesus was literally resurrected on the third day. As for Isaac: Abraham heard from the Lord that he was to sacrifice his son. As far as he was concerned, Isaac was as good as dead at that point. The journey from their home to the place of sacrifice took three days. On the third day, God provided the ram so that Isaac was spared his life, i.e., he was “resurrected” on the third day. The Bible tells us that Abraham had great faith all along, believing that even if God did call him to slay his son that God would bring his son back to life!

Not sure if we got all 30 of them right? Maybe you found other similarities? Let me know.

Keep studying, and keep trusting in the will of God, the ways of God, and the Word of God.

I believe you are now included, since you have entered your email address in the “Subscribe” box on the site. May the Lord continue to work in your life as you grow in your relationship with Jesus. To Him be the glory!

God certainly does see and acknowledge Ishmael. Genesis 16: 9-12 (an angel appears to Hagar while Ishmael is still in the womb) Gen.17:18-20 (Abram firsts hears the specific promise of a son with Sarai, God promises to bless Ishmael as well) Gen. 21:8-21 (Hagar and Ishmael are struggling on their own in the wilderness but God appears and provides for them and re-iterates the promise to bless Ishmael)
But, Isaac is Abraham’s “only son” for the purposes of the covenant God is establishing – by God’s words: Gen. 17:19-21 ; Gen. 21:12 ; Gen. 22:1-2
[Some look at this reference of Isaac as the only son as a reflection of the idea that Abraham has lost his son – Ishmael (Hagar and Ishmael are banished from the family by Sarah in Gen. 21)]

I can’t find the donkey in the Bible in Jesus’s birth story.
Love the comparison. Currently in Middle East and trying to understand the Muslim/Christian conflict a bit better.
Muslims firmly believe that Abraham took Ishmael for offering and not Isaac.

Hi! I want to add one similarity I’ve heard from a Youtube video. Genesis 22:19 says: “So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba”. We can notice from this verse that Abraham returned to his men without Isaac.Isn’t it a surprise?Why does the Bible keep silence about Isaac’s return home? Can we draw a parallel between Jesus’ ascent and Isaac’s disappearance too? I think,yes!

“These mountains teach us that it is only when we are willing to let go of what we love most and cherish most in this life, to offer it back to God, the giver of all good gifts, that we can ever hope to receive it back in ways we never dreamed of or imagined. Only then will we experience resurrection, healing, consoling light and new life.”

Yes so true in doing this we are saying that we choose all things to be gifts from God and we make no thing or man obave God ! We have to choose the right thing in Love and be willing to give up everything for our Father in heaven

The sacrifice was to be a burnt offering. After JESUS died Scripture says that He descended into a burning Hell.

Because Abraham obeyed, God promised to bless him, multiply his descendants, bless the nations through his descendants, and conquer his enemies. Because Jesus obeyed, God blessed Him with a seat at His right hand, has given Him many “descendants”, has blessed the nations through His descendent-followers and gave Him power over His enemies.

Could Ismael be the “first Adam” and Isaac the “second Adam”? In other words, Ishmael is our efffort and it falls short or God’s ultimate plan… Isaac? I also read somewhere that Abraham took 2 servants with Isaac and Jesus was crucified between 2 criminals… thanks for the article!

Somehow I feel that making this kind of comparison between Isaac and Jesus brings more questions than answers. If Isaac is a kind of Jesus and Isaac is saved for a ram. Then who is Jesus saving if he is both the Isaac and the ram…? If Jesus saves humanity then Isaac should represent humanity since the promise to make Abraham the father of nations(Isreal). Then the ram would be a good reflection of the saviour as Jesus who died for the sins of Isreal. & yet, who was God sacrificing His son to? Bec Abraham was supposedly sacrificing his son to appease God which is again an issue to me. Who was God appeasing by sacrificing His son, Himself?

Thanks for the comment, TC. Like any comparison, the analogy always breaks down at some point because no two things are exactly alike. The point of this post is to point out the comparisons, foreshadowing and “hints” about Jesus that are clearly to be seen in the story. May God bless you as you continue to study the Bible.

Hello, my brother in Christ. I like your post about the thirty similarities between Christ and Isaac. but there is more.
!. The ram… It shows it would be a mature man as a ram is a full-grown lamb.
2. In Genesis 22:4 shows that Christ would be sacrificed on the third day. This is confirmed in Daniel 9:27 “in the middle of the week He will stop sacrifice and offerings.” This is the third day of the week “Tuesday.” To even go farther than that it was the 12 hour of the day that the scourging took place. You have to think of Jewish time.
Amen!
P.S.if you need more confirmation on Tuesday being His day of sacrifice I can provide it.for you.

Great list! As I was reading Hebrews 11, it clicked that there may be a smidge of similarity between Abraham’s sacrificing of Isaac and God’s offering of Jesus for repentance of sins, but you surely do go in depth here. Much appreciated!